Hobie Polarized

Hobie CRUZR-A Polarized Sunglasses | Quick Look

Hobie Alter’s dream was born in his parents’ garage in 1950 when Hobie decided to apply his love of woodworking to the sport of surfing. In the years to follow, plenty of other ocean innovations emerged from Hobie’s imagination to include their world-famous polarized sunglasses in the early 80s. With this progression insert the Hobie CRUZR-A polarized sunglasses.

On a recent trip to Florida for Spring Break, I had the chance to review the Hobie CRUZR-A polarized sunglasses. Being primarily an Oakley guy, I had never worn a pair of Hobie’s and figured this would be the perfect time to do it. Although I didn’t go out on the water with them, I decided to give them a try on the beach for six days.

Out of the Box

Initially, out of the box, I thought that the glasses looked huge, like a pair of grandpa driving glasses. Once I put them on I realized I was wrong. They actually fit great, almost like they were made for my face. The arms did not dig into the side of my head like I thought they would. The retainer system was simple and works very well, just a clip on the arm and done, which is a nice feature to have whether on the water or land. The lenses were crystal clear and I was actually able to look at my phone and not get the polarized blur like from other glasses. Overall I am impressed with the quality and clarity that the Hobie CRUZR-A polarized sunglasses provide. Definitely, a go-to pair for me in the future.

CRUZR-A Features courtesy of hobiepolarized.com:

- Hydroclean™ Plus Polycarbonate lenses
- TR-90 Frame
- Durable Precision Flex Hinges
- Megol Rubber Anti-Fog Gasket
- 8 Base Polarized Lenses
- L Fit 64-18-125
- RX Friendly

Hobie Cruz-R Polarized Sunglasses | First Look

In 1950, a young Hobie Alter converted his love for woodworking and started messing around with surfboard construction. Since then, California based Hobie has become a lifestyle brand revolving around fun and water. From the iconic Hobie Cat sailboat to surfboards, kayaks, sunglasses and SUP boards, Hobie has innovated many new ways to play on the water. One of the new polarized sunglasses from the Hydro collection is the Cruz-R.

Hobies Hydro Collection is clearly focused on the water sportsman. Wether you’re kayak fishing, sailing or just hanging out at the dock, the Cruz-R is designed to be on your face. Featuring a unique Hydro Infinity polarized lens that repels water, sweat and sunscreen. As an avid sea-kayaker, I appreciate a lens that can shed water. The Great Lakes can dish out some nasty conditions and I’ve been caught in them before. And wiping off your sunglasses after smashing through a wave is impossible when you can’t let go of your paddle for even a second.

A fully adjustable removable retainer system is also included with the Cruz-R. This wire retainer just clips onto the end of the temple arm. A nice feature considering I’ve lost an expensive pair of sunglasses when I found myself upside down in Lake Superior. These Hobie Polarized Cruz-R sunglasses are my new “go-to” shades when paddling. But they’re not only for water sports. While in Utah, I had a few days to give these new shades a try hiking in the rocky landscape.

Hobie Cruz-R features courtesy of hobiepolarized.com

Hydroclean™ Plus Hydro Infinity lenses
TR-90 Frame
Durable Precision Flex Hinges
8 Base Polarized Lenses
L Fit 64-18-125
Megol Rubber Anti-Fog Gasket
Hydro Retainer
RX Friendly
MSRP from $99.99

The Cruz-R is available in two frame colors and five lens colors. All configurations feature the Hydro Infinity polarized lenses. Additionally, the Hydro Collection includes 4 unique frame designs. It’s been a few years since I was kid rocking a plaid pair of Hobie board shorts. So I appreciate my reunion with this iconic surf brand. Take a minute and browse the Hobie Polarized website. What you’ll find is a surprising value for such a feature packed line-up of sunglasses.

Outdoor Retailer 2017 | Hobie Polarized Sunglasses

As part of our Outdoor Retailer experience this year we started with Hobie Polarized. Our goal is to bring new products and companies into the Loadout Room That we have not showcased before. Case in point; Hobie Polarized. At first I was a little leery of talking to another sunglasses company because we have showcased other sunglasses already and honestly how many pairs of them can we review before it becomes uninteresting and not worth your time.

After we sat down with the representative and started talking I posed the question to her; What sets Hobie Polarized apart from Oakley, Smith Optics and Gatorz Eyewear? She didn’t hesitate with her response. What set’s Hobie Polarized apart is two-fold. First off, ALL Hobie sunglasses are polarized no matter what style you choose. The second and probably more impressive reason is their Hydro Lens Technology. I’ll reference their website so that I don’t screw anything up in the translation.

From their website:

Hobie Polarized has always stood for the highest quality polarized lenses available. With the addition of our new revolutionary HydroClean Plus lens coating, you get unmatched vision on and off the water. The lenses start with Hobie’s proven polarized film technology. A series of enhanced hydrophobic and anti-reflective coatings are then applied to each lens under carefully controlled conditions. The result is a lens that sheds water, resists dust and grime and is easy to clean. Our HydroClean Plus lenses continue the Hobie Polarized tradition of eliminating glare, innovation and quality you’ve come to trust and rely on.

HYDRO INFINITY LENSES
We have raised the bar with the new Hydro Infinity lens technology! We took out Hydroclean Plus coating and wrapper it 360 degrees around our Hobie lenses, giving you the best hydrophobic and oleophobic coverage available. Only Hydro Infinity lenses repeal water, sunscreen and sweat from all angles, making them perfectly suited for any outdoor enthusiasts who can’t stop to clean their Hobie’s while taking on the elements!

All in all we left the meeting pretty damn impressed and with a pair to test and evaluate for you guys. We got an opportunity to get some cool pictures of them while we were doing some recreational free climbing.

Stay tuned for a more detailed review of these shades!